Kay She

2011 University of Calgary President's Award Recipient

"I’ve met many outstanding students who have also worked tirelessly to improve the university and greater community, and to be selected out of this pool of students is an honour." – Kay She

By Jennifer Allford

Kay She, BA’11, is a firm believer that what you learn outside the classroom is every bit as important as what you learn inside. She has definitely been soaking it up during her time at the University of Calgary.

While studying political science, she also wrote for the Gauntlet, was active in her sorority and served as Vice President External for the Students’ Union, where she worked on everything from student housing and improving the student loan program to providing better daycare for students with children.

She is extremely grateful to be one of the five students receiving the President’s Award for Excellence in Student Leadership at June Convocation. “I’ve met many outstanding students who have also worked tirelessly to improve the university and greater community, and to be selected out of this pool of students is an honour,” she says.

Getting to know other students, as well as faculty and staff has been especially rewarding. “Learning from nationally renowned professors in the political science department, sitting in Mac Hall deciding what to eat, lining up for the Den, walking with streams of students towards the BSD [Bermuda Shorts Day]; these are all fond memories I will take with me.” Most of all, She says she will value the friends she’s made on campus.

“The university has been a second home for me for the past four years,” she says. “Whether it is volunteering for a student club or doing an internship abroad, getting involved has enriched my university experience and shaped the person I am today.”

After a little travelling, and attending Convocation, she will start work as a policy and government advisor at the Canadian Association of Petroleum Producers in Calgary.

But a full-time job won’t stop her volunteer efforts. She wants to expand a project she has underway that incorporates media literacy into school and after-school program curriculums as well as lending her talents volunteering with some political campaigns where she can focus on youth and young adult engagement.

“No matter where life takes me, I know I will always want to travel, learn more about other cultures and how they govern to improve the lives of their people.”